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Korra, age 13, runs into katara's office where she is tending to paperwork most likely relating to the tension rising between the North and the South pole. Katara glances up from her paperwork as korra kicks the door down but trips up last minute and lands face first right in front of her masters desk.
"My my young avatar, what an entrance that was." Katara chuckles, half mocking and half concerned.
"Don't mock me you-" she's sputters before remembering its her master
"... Master, I'm still learning the basics of a fire kick"
She corrects herself begrudgingly while making her way up from the floor and trying to hide the redness in her face from the embarrassment.
"My apologies korra" the old women replies giggling slightly at the sloppy teenager in front of her
"Now what was it you, so dramatically, needed?"
"Oh right!" korra's face instantly lights up, embarrassment fading instantaneously as she springs up onto Katara's desk sits down and crosses her legs.
"I was reading this book about a prince who saves his wife from pirates by water bending their blood, isn't that cool, and at the end it credits you for the technique. You never told me you could bloodbend!?"
The young avatar excitedly babbled, now up in her masters face expression full of wonder and pure eagerness, however her masters is quite the opposite.
The old masters face bares and expression somewhere between disgust, loathing and fear.
After a long pause Katara finally speaks up, although korra face has long changed to worry after the pause.
"Korra..." she pauses in thought wondering if she should share the story
"I suppose it's time you hear the story of how bloodbending came to be and why it is now illegal to use"
Korra's face contracts into a mix of interest and awe, she leans back off the desk and falls off but not before doing a backwards somersault to catch herself and lands in the middle on the floor. She lays flat on her stomach and her head in her hands with the feet up in the air and swinging simultaneously, as if she's a small child waiting for storytime. Katara slowly gets up and waddles over to the rocking chair in the corner, she sits down and takes in a breath ready to reveal a past she never wanted to confront.
"Back when me and my friends were still children, about your age actually, we encountered a water bender who was able to master the art of reaching inside another living being and control them by manipulating their blood, luckily it is only possible under a full moon even for me. Unfortunately she put me in a situation where i had no choice but to use bloodbending myself to save my friends and avatar Aang."
"Woah, cool" korra interrupts without thinking, per usual.
"No korra, not "cool"" Katara scolds her air quoting the word "cool"
"Bloodbending is a vile technique only used by those who wish to control others through fear and force,the very reason why it's against southern and Republican law, the only reason I'm telling you is so when you become a well rounded avatar you must know about the real dangers of this world and the responsibility you will have to stop it. You are not to attempt this, do you understand, avatar?" the master sternly warns korra of the dangers, moral and physical, of bloodbending and authoritarily tells or to refrain from testing it's possibility. During the short lecture from Katara, korra slowly began to sit up on her knees with her hand neatly folded in her lap.
"Yes master Katara" korra accepts meekly with lowering her head in apology and disappointment. But while she faces down for a split second and smirk appears on her face, to hidden for anyone to see, Katara just gave her all the information she needed and she's already forming an overly indulgent plan in her mind.
Later that night, after receiving a repremand and punishment of 200 laps for breaking master Katara's door, korra finally collapses into bed face down as her polar bear dog naga lazily strolls in behind her. The teenager lays there for a minute contemplating life before forcing herself to sit up. Naga takes this as her personal cue to jump on korra and love her with the force of a thousand (and probably just as much saliver too!) as korra is pinned down by this gentle giant she thinks back to her plan and after a struggle gets up and walks to her desk. A little rummaging and ransacking later she finally found what she's looking for, the lunar cycle. After a little thinking and a lot of lucky guess, korra comes to the conclusion that a full moon will occur in 2 days.
"Two days!" she exclaims almost disheartened
"Why can't it be sooner" the avatar throws her head back in exaggerated distraught.
"The moon spirit knows I'm impatient and is just doing this to spite me. Like I'm the avatar you can't just.. Idk move it forward a day!?" the young avatar exclaims in anger and impatients, although she's not sure who to, herself? Naga? Or maybe the moon spirit all mighty? She doesn't know she just wants to make it known she's unhappy.
The next two days go by in slow agony for korra, she must train and act like she's clear headed, must study pretending not to look at the clock every 5 minutes, and worst of all she just be patient and quietly at that. One wrong slip up may have people asking questions eventually leading to her plan getting outed and her back behind bars. Eventually the two days past although to korra it feels like at least a week.
It's around 9 at night and the plan is now in motion:
Step 1: rile Naga up so it seems as if she's restless and needs a walk.
"It's been half an hour now Naga, you feeling exited? Wide awake?" korra talks to her polar bear dog quietly but egging her on, Naga barks in response jumping around everywhere and on the verge of destroying everything.
"Good" korra chuckles mischievously and has the widest smirk on her face
Step 2: convince the guards Naga is restless and needs a run to wear her out.
Korra leaves her room Naga bouncing behind her. As she walks korra is trying to act confident but is terrified if getting caught leaving a small hint of hesitation in ever step. She finally gets to the gates.
"Avatar" the guard bows respectfully.
"Why are you leaving the compound so late?" the guard inquires. Korra clears her throat, and hopefully the anxiety as well.
"Naga is acting restless tonight and I need to take her on a run or I won't get any sleep,bringing down my performance tomorrow" korra puts on her *avatar responsible adult voice* and the guard is suspicious but allows her to go with the promise she'll be back within the hour. Korra boards Naga and bolts the moment she feels fresh snow on her face.
Step 3: find a fish a bloodbend.
Korra rides for about 10 minutes before encountering a small lake with some fish in it. Korra gets off Naga and walks over to the lake, she reaches out her hand the ethereal glow of the moon behind her. To the fish she must look like the moon goddess with the glowing moon and iridescent show the northern lights are creating in the background. The avatar closes her eyes and focuses all her energy to converge in her hand a feel absolute power over another being. The fish stare up at her in awe and amazement-
"AVATAR KORRA!!!!"
they scatter
"WHAT IN THE SPIRITS NAME DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!!!"
A voice booms from behind, korra shoots up straight not daring to turn around, as her brain processes the question she still refuses to answer it as it's very clear it was rhetorical and threatening.
"Korra turn around" the voice, now calmer should sound more comforting, but no, to korra it just made the whole situation more scary and unnerving. But now that there is no more shouting, whether it be good or bad, she is able to tell exactly who is there. She instinctively turns around and is now face to face with mater Katara.
Step 4: succeed at bloodbending and return home.
This didn't go as planned. She got back home after receiving and earful from Katara and a promise to repay korra with 500 laps tomorrow morning. As she lays in her bed the only thing she's thinking is "this won't be the last time I go against orders" and on the other side of the compound, Katara is thinking the exact same thing.